1. Fie1d of the Invention
The presently disclosed invention relates to wheel chairs and the like, and more particularly to leg- and foot-rests for wheel chairs and to a simple and easily manufactured foot/leg rest assembly that can be added to an already existing chair.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The evolution of wheel chairs has brought about many comforts to the chair occupant. It is known to construct a wheel chair with the added feature of a foot/leg-rest that can be moved from a storage position to a working position, and vice versa. Such a device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,742 to M. I. Thomas. That invention utilizes a fixed extension of lower, horizontal tubes to carry a slidable leg-rest.
It is also known to provide an extendible foot-rest apparatus that can be stored underneath the chair and that can be inverted to provide a cushion arrangement by sliding the apparatus completely out of the carrying tubes and inverting it and then sliding it back into place. An invention such as this is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,325,215 to C. E. Murcott.
Other inventions provide selectively operable leg rests that can be folded flat against the side of the chair, and leg rests that are collapsible to facilitate folding the chair for transport or storage.
However, while the above-mentioned devices provide improved comfort to wheel chair occupants, there are shortcomings attendant with each.